In the past two and a half years, 1,067 Bangladeshi prisoners have been detained in Indian jails, according to the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, retired judge Moinul Islam Chowdhury.

He made this statement at a press conference today, Tuesday, March 4, at the office of the Commission on Enforced Disappearances.

The Chairman of the Commission said that a list had been requested of Bangladeshi citizens detained in various Indian prisons. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a list containing the names and addresses of 1,067 Bangladeshis detained in Indian prisons over the past two and a half years was obtained.

It was stated in writing that any additional information that comes up will be sent to the Commission. An investigation is ongoing to determine whether any individuals listed in the obtained list are victims of enforced disappearances.

He further stated that the Commission has received 1,752 complaints related to enforced disappearances to date.

Of these, almost 1,000 complaints and associated documents have been preliminarily verified. The statements of 280 complainants have been recorded, and the statements of around 45 officers from law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies have also been recorded.

The Chairman mentioned that after August 5, when information was requested from the police superintendent and sector commanders of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in the border districts of Bangladesh regarding individuals pushed into Bangladesh from India, the Bangladesh Police provided information on 140 such individuals.

After preliminary inquiry into this information, no name of any person who is a victim of enforced disappearance has been found so far.

He added that investigations are ongoing, contingent upon receiving full information from the police and BGB.

However, he mentioned that they are aware that on December 22 last year, Mohammad Rahmat Ullah, a victim of enforced disappearance from Dhaka's Dhamrai, was pushed into Bangladesh through the Gomostapur border of Chapainawabganj.

An investigation into this matter is ongoing by the Commission.

At this time, members of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, including retired Additional Judge Md. Farid Ahmed Shibli, human rights activist Nur Khan, BRAC University faculty member and Commission member Nabila Idris, and human rights activist and Commission member Sajjad Hossain, were present.

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